Brassiere



N. A. MARlNO Nov. 30, 1965 BRASSIERE Filed Feb. 26, 1964 INVENTQR. halos a 3 BY M @13 5 United States Patent Filed Feb. 26, 1964, Ser. No. 347,498 4 Claims. c1. 12s 4s9 My invention relates to brassieres, and has to do more particularly with a brassiere structure especially designed for persons engaging in rather strenuous physical activities, including those of a housewife, as in reaching for articles on a high shelf or lifting, as Well as such athletics as bowling, tennis, golf, etc.

A woman with well-developed busts requires the support of a brassiere, especially in such activities. In radical movements involving arm and shoulder action it is desired, for maximum comfort, that the cup portions of the brassiere remain in proper position; displacing of the cups by muscular action results in discomfort to the wearer and the cups may not be restored to proper position without awkward manual readjustment.

The muscular force exerted by a persons arm, say, in reaching to a high shelf or to serve a tennis ball, may be resolved into two components, as indicated by the arrows seen on the left side of FIG. 1, one of said components, as illustrated by arrow A, being directed upwardly and inwardly toward the neck of the individual, the other, as illustrated by arrow B, being directed upwardly and outwardly in a direction more-or-less normal to the line represented by arrow A.

A particular object of my invention, therefore, is to provide a brassiere which is designed to permit relatively extreme arm movements without disturbing the cups.

A further object is to provide a brassiere having cross supports for the cups, said supports having a high degree of longitudinal resilience, aligned along the aforesaid components.

Another object is to provide a brassiere structure of the type referred to wherein said supports are in the nature of a compound truss for each cup, said truss comprising a main element attached to the upper-inner quadrant of the cup and extending over the shoulder and diagonally down to the waistband, at the middle of the wearers back, the two main elements being attached to each other or continuous over the midriff, and a minor element secured to the upper-outer quadrant of the cup and attached at its upper end approximately at a right angle to the main element of the truss. Thus, a strenuous arm movement results in resilient elongation of said major and minor truss elements without disturbing the cups, which remain in their proper bust-supporting positions, while, upon relaxation of said muscular stress, the truss elements will resume their normal positions.

My invention may in certain respects be considered an improvement over US. patent to Seperack No. 3,120,848, granted February 11, 1964.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the appended drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention, wherein FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a brassiere embodying my invention, and

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary rear view inside of the brassiere.

The brassiere illustrated in the drawings comprises a waistband formed of longitudinally resilient webbing, etxending more-or-less continuously for the entire length of the brassiere. One end of said band 10 is stitched to a closure tab 12 normally positioned at the mid portion of the wearers back, said tab 12, as is customary, being provided with two rows of fasteners 14, 14, such as eyes, adapted to engage a row of mating fasteners, such as thereof, showing the 3,220,415 Patented Nov. 30, 1965 hooks (not shown) on a closure tab 12 stitched to the opposite end of band 10, said fasteners being designed to provide some adjustability to allow for changes in girth.

Stitched to the upper edge of band 10 is a pair of fabric cups C. These cups may be of standard or any desired construction, being generally hemispherical in conformation. Said cups are spaced apart, being stitched to gen erally triangular midriff sections a, 20b, along the hypotenuse thereof, while said triangular sections are secured along a vertical leg thereof, as indicated at 22, to a vertical reinforcing strip 23.

Generally triangular sections 25, are secured as by stitching between waistband 10 and the lower-inner quadrant of each cup. These triangular sections as well as sections 20a and 2012 are preferably of a horizontally resilient fabric.

Stitched to the upper-inner quadrant of each cup C are bands 30, 30, these bands being secured at their ends as by stitching to reinforcing strip 23 along a line 33. If desired, bands 30, may be continuous rather than in two separate pieces and are formed of relatively wide, say, approximately one inch, longitudinally elastic webbing which is relatively rugged and of high stretchability, and is also relatively open-meshed, to provide high air permeability for added comfort. In order that these bands may be prevented from irritating the shoulders of the wearer at the points of support and maximum pressure directly over the shoulders, strips 37 of relatively softsurfaced material such as cotton are stitched to the inside shoulder portions of straps 30. I It will be seen that bands 30, 30 extend from 'strip 23 diagonally upwardly and outwardly, thence over the shoulders to the back of the garment, then downwardly and inwardly to the center of the back where said bands 30, 30 are stitched respectively to tabs 12, 12'. i

A reinforcing strip 28 is stitched to the outsideedge of each cup, extending down to the triangular elements'25 to which said strips 28 are also attached, the lower extremity of each strip 28 being secured to the top edge of waistband 10.

Longitudinally resilient strips of webbing 35, are stitched to the upper portion of strips 28, 28, extending downwardly and outwardly toward bands 30, 30, each strip 35 being secured to one of the bands 30 at a point spaced from the extremity thereof, as indicated at 36. Each of the strips 35 is generally similar in character to waistband 10, being longitudinally resilient and of suflicient ruggedness to form a partial support for a fabric segment 39 of generally trapezium configuration which is stitched along its lower edge to waistband 10, along its upper edge to strip 35, and to strip 28 on one side and band 30 on the other. Segment 39 is also horizontally resilient and of relatively open-mesh material similar in character to triangular segments 25, 20a and 20b.

Stitched to the upper-outer quadrant of each cup is a strip of fabric webbing 45, 45, said material being similar in character to bands 30, 30, as described above. The upper extremity of each of said bands is stitched to its adjacent band 30, as indicated at 47. At its lower portion it is stitched along one side to the adjacent strip 28, as indicated at 49, the opposite side and bottom edges of said band being stitched to the cup.

It will be seen that I have provided a brassiere designed to provide maximum comfort to a person engaged in more-or-less strenuous arm and shoulder activity. Raising or swinging of the arms, such as occurs in reaching for a high shelf, swinging a tennis racket or bowling, results in stressing bands 30 longitudinally, as indicated by arrow B, and of bands 45, as indicated by arrow A, resulting in their elongation. Opposite movement of the arm will relieve said tension, permitting both of said bands to return to their normal unstretched condition. Thus, it will be seen that, inasmuch as bands 30 and 45 take up the major portion of the muscular force in the directions of the principal components thereof, the cups will be allowed to remain in place, avoiding uncomfortable shifting of their position. Furthermore, the longitudinal resilience of strips 35 and segments 39, 25, and 20a and b will contribute to the aforesaid yielding action, at the same time aiding in maintaining the cups in proper position.

Additionally, it should be noted that segments 39 are positioned substantially over the diaphragm of the wearer. Thus, while assisting at all times in keeping the cups in place, segments 39 will flex as the short-ribs expand more-or-less violently with the heavy breathing of the wearer which accompanies violent muscular effort.

The open-meshhigh permeability of the various resil ient elements also contributes to the comfort of the wearer engaged in strenous activity.

Thus, it will be seen that I have provided in my improved brassiere a combination of features which coact to provide maximum comfort for the wearer while maintaining the bust-supporting cups in their proper positions during the most violent muscular action, making the garment especially attractive to physically active women.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art; hence, I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiments shown and describedor uses mentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of my invention being limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a brassiere having a pair of bust-supporting cups each including an upper outer guadrant,

(a) a longitudinally resilient waistband secured to the lower portion of said cups and having interengageable terminal members normally positionable at the back of the wearer,

(b) a midriff section disposed between said cups and secured thereto and to the waistband,

(c) a longitudinally resilient, relatively long band extending across and secured to the top of each cup and to the midrifi' section, adapted to extend over the wearers shoulders and thence down toward and attached to said terminal members, and

(d) a longitudinally resilient, relatively short trans verse band secured along one longitudinal edge to the upper-outer quadrant of each cup, at least a portion of its other longitudinal edge being free, and having its upper end attached to the long band and extending generally transversely therefrom toward the waistband and having its lower end secured to the lower portion of the brassiere,

(e) said long and short bands being longitudinally elongatable in directions generally normal to each other, whereby they will serve as transverse supporting trusses to maintain said cups substantially in position upon strenuous arm and shoulder movements of the wearer.

2. In a combination as in-claim 1, horizontally elastic side panels secured to and extending rearwardly from the cups and also secured to the waistband and to each long band at the back of the brassiere, said panels being normally positioned approximately over the diaphragm.

3. A combination as in claim 2, wherein said midritf section is horizontally elastic, a substantially vertical reinforcing strip being secured to said cups therebetween, said long band being formed in two sections, an end of each long band section being secured to said reinforcing strip.

4. A combination as in claim 2, wherein said long and short bands and side panels are reticulated to permit free air circulation therethrough.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,882,023 10/1932 Malnick 128-490 2,202,058 5/ 1940 Malnick 128-491 2,520,225 8/1950 Scott-Elliot 128-491 2,971,514 2/ 1961 Steinmetz 128-494 3,094,991 6/1963 Smith 128-489 3,120,848 2/1964 Seperack 128-510 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A BRASSIERE HAVING A PAIR OF BUST-SUPPORTING CUPS EACH INCLUDING AN UPPER OUTER GUADRANT, (A) A LONGIDUDINALLY RESILIENT WAISTBAND SECURED TO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID CUPS AND HAVING INTERENGAGEABLE TERMINAL MEMBERS NORMALLY POSITIONABLE AT THE BACK OF THE WEARER, (B) A MIDRIFF SECTION DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID CUPS AND SECURED THERETO AND TO THE WAISTBAND, (C) A LONGITUDINALLY RESILIENT, RELATIVELY LONG BAND EXTENDING ACROSS AND SECURED TO THE TOP OF EACH CUP AND TO THE MIDRIFF SECTION, ADAPTED TO EXTEND OVER THE WEARER''S SHOULDERS AND THENCE DOWN TOWARD AND ATTACHED TO SAID TERMINAL MEMBERS, AND (D) A LONGITUDINALLY RESILIENT, RELATIVELY SHORT TRANSVERSE BAND SECURED ALONG ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE TO THE UPPER-OUTER QUADRANT OF EACH CUP AT LEAST A PORTION OF ITS OTHER LONGITUDINAL EDGE BEING FREE, AND HAVING ITS UPPER END ATTACHED TO THE LONG BAND AND EXTENDING GENERALLY TRANSVERSELY THEREFROM TOWARD THE WAISTBAND AND HAVING ITS LOWER END SECURED TO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE BRASSIERE, (E) SAID LONG AND SHORT BANDS BEING LONGITUDINALLY ELONGATABLE IN DIRECTIONS GENERALNORMAL TO EACH OTHER, WHEREBY THEY WILL SERVE AS TRANSVERSE SUPPORTING TRUSSES TO MAINTAIN SAID CUPS SUBSTANTIALLY IN POSITION UPON STRENUOUS ARM AND SHOULDER MOVEMENTS OF THE WEARER. 